Chapter 33
Chapter 33
When I created Picker, I barely understood my own ability.
Now it was different.
The base model would be the K-5 Cargo drone.
Originally, it was a large transport drone in quadcopter form.
But I boldly removed the rotors and the entire flight module.
When the wings disappeared from the blueprint, Picker—who had been watching beside me—blinked its lens.
“Boss? If you remove the wings, what are you going to do with it? Make it crawl around like a worm? As a member of the drone family, I feel ashamed!”
It sounded like he was trying to stop me, but there was excitement in his voice.
Firstborns always show that kind of jealousy when a younger sibling arrives.
I had spent the last ten years doing every kind of odd job imaginable, including hauling cargo in the shelter. I had seen plenty of kids like that.
Picker ruled the skies as a reconnaissance drone, while the newcomer would crawl on the ground. Apparently he found that amusing.
“I’m removing the flight function from this one.”
The reason was simple.
“Unless it’s tiny like Honeybee or flies high like you—”
“Why?”
“The moment something the size of a cargo drone lifts into the sky, it’s basically shouting ‘Here I am!’”
Picker had been shot down by Viper the moment we tested its flight. A cargo drone would be an even bigger target.
And after seeing mercenaries equipped with items that bypassed infrared detection—
“This one will travel on the ground.”
Instead of wheels, I installed tracks on the empty underside.
The ruined city was full of debris.
Wheels wouldn’t stand a chance. Tracks were the only solution for rough terrain.
The next problem was noise.
The clanking sound of metal tracks would attract mutants like an invitation.
So I added a design layer coating the tracks with high-elastic rubber.
It wouldn’t eliminate the sound completely, but instead of a tank it would sound closer to an electric wheelchair.
“And it needs a few teeth as well.”
Traveling on the ground meant it would inevitably encounter mutants.
Using the launcher mechanism from the Poison Bee device, I embedded a four-tube cylindrical launcher into the drone’s back.
It could fire grenades, smoke shells, incendiaries, or flares depending on the situation.
“Ooh, a launcher. I’m a little jealous,” Picker said, circling smugly.
“Still just a crawling machine though.”
“If I shout from above ‘Hey Porter, roll to three o’clock!’ it’ll scurry over, won’t it? Hahaha! Am I getting a subordinate?”
“Not a subordinate. A teammate. And since it can’t fly, it needs to be built tougher.”
I changed the frame material.
Instead of aluminum alloy, I combined steel and titanium scavenged from the junk hill.
Inside I packed springs and hydraulic shock absorbers.
The goal was simple: build a moving safe.
Finally, the paint job remained.
Unlike the previous drones, I coated the surface with a rough concrete texture.
If it crouched still, it would look exactly like a chunk of rubble.
Picker tilted its lens.
“Boss, what’s with the paint job all of a sudden? Black would look cooler.”
“It’s camouflage. If we don’t have stealth tech, we fool the eyes instead.”
“Camouflage… hmm.”
Picker searched through some data.
“Come to think of it, I saw something interesting while scouting. A mutant like a lizard stuck to a wall—it changed to the same color as the wall. Like a chameleon.”
“A chromatic mutant?”
“Yes! If it stayed still, even I almost couldn’t find it. If we skinned it and coated something with it, wouldn’t it work like an invisibility cloak?”
“…Interesting.”
That actually made sense.
My ability could imbue items with the properties of biological tissues.
We didn’t know its location now, but it was excellent bait for the future.
I was certain killing that chromatic mutant would yield a special material.
“Remember where it was. We’ll hunt it later.”
“Roger!”
The design was complete.
With a satisfied smile, I activated Manufacture.
Wuuuuung—
The workshop’s Production Module roared to life.
A massive steel frame assembled itself.
Rubber-coated tracks locked into place.
Moments later, a heavy, rugged machine sat on the workbench.
[A new entity has been discovered.]
[Register this entity in the management bay?]
The same system message as when Picker was created.
I accepted immediately.
[Please assign a designation.]
A name.
Picker had been named because it picked out what we needed.
Though snipers had ruined that purpose.
This machine’s role was clear.
Carry cargo for me. Guard my back.
“Porter.”
A porter.
My former job—and now this machine’s identity.
[Initializing system synchronization for entity Porter.]
[Establishing 1:1 link with Central Control System.]
[…Complete.]
Ziiing—
A blue mono-eye slowly lit within Porter’s armored front.
Another warning appeared.
[Warning: No remaining slots.]
[Workshop level must increase to register additional entities.]
So the entity management limit is two.
That was the limit for a Level 1 workshop.
Meaning no new AI companions after Porter for now.
I checked Porter’s status.
Entity Name: Porter
Grade: F (Growth Possible)
AI Persona: Devotee of Weight
F-grade—the lowest tier.
Not surprising since it used ordinary materials rather than a mutant battery.
Picker peeked at the screen and burst out laughing.
“F-grade! F-grade! Big body but totally empty! Hey rookie! Do you know who your senior is?”
He assumed Porter couldn’t understand speech.
But then—
Ziiii—
Porter’s blue eye slowly turned toward Picker.
A deep mechanical voice echoed like a ship horn.
“…You are noisy.”
Picker froze.
“Did… did you just talk?”
“Winged tin can. Too light. Weight… zero. I disregard you.”
Porter turned forward again.
“What?! Light? Being light is technology! It’s cutting-edge weight reduction, you idiot!”
Picker raged in the air, but Porter didn’t move.
I chuckled.
This one had personality.
The skeleton was complete.
Now it needed flesh.
I took out the Hardened Boar Hide.
It came from the Iron-Tusk Boar, an E-Grade named mutant whose hide had endured the Union turret’s 12.7mm barrage.
Picker panicked and shoved its camera close.
“Boss! Wait! You’re putting that precious hide on this dull tin can?”
Picker fluttered frantically.
“If you attach it to my wings they’ll become bulletproof! That thing just crawls around anyway!”
“Move.”
I waved Picker aside.
“You avoid hits. He takes them for me. Giving the tank all the armor is standard strategy.”
“But he’s F-grade and I’m E-grade!”
Ignoring him, I activated Modification – Reinforcement.
The tough hide liquefied and fused seamlessly over Porter’s steel frame.
Hiss—
Biological tissue bonded with metal at the cellular level.
It wasn’t simple plating.
It became bio-composite armor.
Porter’s body grew heavier.
The once crude shape now resembled an armored rhinoceros.
He rotated his shoulders with a heavy mechanical rumble.
“Excellent. My shoulders are heavier. The weight meets the master’s expectations.”
Picker recoiled.
“Ugh, what a freak. He likes being heavy. Boss, is his AI circuit fried?”
“Quiet. Time for weapons.”
Defense was secured.
Now for breakthrough power.
I brought out two Mutated Iron Tusks.
They were mounted on Porter’s front in a V-shape—retractable like robotic arms for camouflage.
A ram capable of smashing through cars, walls, or charging mutants.
The idea came from watching Karambit’s Iron Bull trucks.
Modification Complete
Grade Increased: F → E
Porter was no longer a tin robot.
It was a boar-shaped miniature tank.
But the final piece remained.
“…Alright.”
From a special storage case I removed a red lump.
Rampaging Heart
Grade: E+
Even after days of death, the heart twitched faintly.
The violent life force of a named mutant still pulsed within.
Picker recoiled.
“Boss… that thing’s creepy.”
Even stranger than the Mutated Acid Battery.
This was no ordinary engine.
It was transplanting a mutant organ into a machine.
I wasn’t even sure it would work.
But the system urged me forward.
Click.
I opened Porter’s chest armor.
The heart settled into the empty power slot.
Fusion Initiated
Crackle!
Blue sparks burst.
Vein-like tendrils burrowed into mechanical components while wires wrapped around the heart.
Grotesque yet awe-inspiring.
Thump—
Thump—
A heartbeat echoed through the workshop.
Porter’s body vibrated in rhythm.
Suddenly—
The Storage unit in the corner hummed and glowed blue.
As if resonating with Porter’s heartbeat.
Warning: Energy from special material exceeds chassis specification.
The system window flashed red.
Consuming Core.
“What?”
“Eh?”
The system automatically consumed an E-Grade Core from storage.
Synchronizing…
WOOOOONG—
The storage light and Porter’s heartbeat merged into one rhythm.
Synchronization Complete
Spatial link established between Porter and Storage
Special ability unlocked
Porter’s mono-eye lit again.
Modification Complete
Entity Name: Porter
Grade: D-
AI Persona: Devotee of Weight
Trait: Spatial Tethering
“Spatial Tethering?”
I didn’t understand from the description alone.
So I stepped outside.
Porter followed behind with heavy track sounds.
A chunk of H-beam steel lay in the yard—at least 100 kilograms.
“Porter. Bring that.”
He didn’t move.
Instead his red eye fixed on the beam.
Then—
Whoosh!
The beam vanished midair before Porter touched it.
Storage: H-beam received
“…Ha.”
A laugh escaped me.
Porter itself had become a mobile entrance to the storage system.
There would be range limits.
But anything within my sight could now be collected without touching it.
“Incredible…”
No more hauling heavy loads.
Wherever Porter stood, the workshop existed.
I patted his armored shoulder.
“How do you feel?”
Porter rumbled.
“I feel it.”
“What? The spatial connection?”
“No.”
His crimson eye stared into space.
“The 300 tons of resources inside storage… their overwhelming weight crushes my soul. Ah… such magnificent weight.”
“….”
I had no words.
Picker backed away in horror.
“Boss! Can we return this thing? It’s creepy!”
I laughed.
Pervert or not—if it worked, that was enough.
“Porter. Sorry, but we’re moving out immediately.”
“The master’s command… is my joy.”
“Picker. Show the farming locations. Let’s plan a route for Porter.”